


The Hellscape

by SonicFairyspell13



Series: Spooky Wars 2020 [3]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: But it's just an unknown senator and some senate guards, Crash Landing, Force Ghost(s), Force-Sensitive Clone Troopers (Star Wars), Gen, Minor Character Death, Possession, Sith ghosts, Vibe is Force Sensitive, also a bit of non-con touching from one of the ghosts, no one important - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27234247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicFairyspell13/pseuds/SonicFairyspell13
Summary: It was supposed to be a routine escort mission. So, of course everything had to go wrong.Prompt: "A Haunted Plant"
Series: Spooky Wars 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985029
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8
Collections: Spooky Wars Week





	The Hellscape

This was not how Thire wanted this mission to go. 

All he and his team were supposed to do was escort a senator, and their squad of incompetant Senate Guards, safely back to Coruscant. Instead, they were attacked by a Separatist ship, shot down, and now they were crashing on a planet they don’t even know the name of. 

Thire cursed the senator and their guards in his head as Jek and Rys desperately tried to stabilize the ship for a crash landing. This senator just had to get back to Coruscant now, couldn’t even wait a couple days for the sector to be cleared. Now that senator put all their lives in danger.

Thire clung to the back of Rys’s seat as the ship shook violently. The alarms were blaring and the overhead and dashboard warning lights were flashing red. 

Vibe and Cheshire came running into the cockpit. “The engines are almost dead, sir! We’ll end up in free fall in a few minutes! There was nothing more we could do!” Cheshire reported.

“Everyone buckle up and brace yourselves!” Thire ordered.

Vibe and Cheshire immediately took their seats and strapped in. Rys and Jek did the same. Thire took the last seat in the cockpit and buckled in. The five clones braced themselves as the ground rapidly approached them.

“Brace for impact!” Jek yelled suddenly.

Thire watched as the ground got closer. The ship shook violently, something metallic creaked and screamed. The ship impacted and everything went black.

CWCWCWCWCW

Thire groaned as he came back to consciousness. 

Blinking his eyes open, Thire realized he had survived the crash. He struggled to get his buckle off and get to his feet. His head throbbed as he stood, making him groan again. He ran a quick check over himself. Besides an aching head and a few sore spots, he was otherwise fine.

Thire quickly turned his attention to his brothers. He had to make sure they were okay. He focused on Rys and Jek first as they were in the pilot seats. Thire grabbed Rys and shook him by the shoulder. 

“Rys? Jek! Wake up, vod!” Thire called.

Rys groaned and started to stir, Jek right behind him.

“Sir?” Rys slurred. “What happened? We survived the crash?”

Thire nodded. “Yeah. We did. Now we have to check if the others survived. Rys, you’ll come with me and we’ll check on the senator and the Senate Guard. Jek, you see to on Vibe and Cheshire. Then we’ll send out a distress signal and hope it's picked up by one of ours. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.” said Rys as he stood up.

“Right, Sir.” Jek replied as he followed Rys.

They were about to leave when a voice stopped them.

“Don’t bother,” the voice mumbled.

Thire turned and looked over at Vibe, who had woken up and started moving. Rys and Jek looked over at Vibe.

“Why not? We have to check to make sure they’re okay.” said Jek.

“Cause they’re dead.” Vibe said quietly. “The senator and the Senate Guards are all dead.”

Thire stared in shock at the clone before him. He knew Vibe had a couple of peculiar traits. If he was saying the senator and the Senate Guards were dead, he was probably right.

“I’m sure you’re right, Vibe. But we need to make sure. Rys?” said Thire. 

“Right, sir.” Rys replied. He moved past them and headed out of the cockpit to check the others.

Thire then turned to the only other clone in the cockpit. He walked over and carefully started to look for a pulse.

“Is… is he alive?” Vibe asked.

After a moment of searching, Thire found Cheshire’s pulse. It was there, and not as weak as he thought it would be. He nodded.

“Yeah, he’s alive. He’s just unconscious.”

Shortly after he finished speaking, Rys returned. Everyone turned their attention to him.

Rys shook his head. “They’re all dead. We’re the only survivors.”

Thire sighed heavily. Great. He turned to Jek. “See if you can get a signal out to one of our ships for a rescue.”

“Yes, Sir.” Jek responded. He turned and started activating the console. After a couple minutes, he managed to get the console online and opened a comm channel.

“Ready, Sir.”

Thire stepped towards the console and started speaking,

“Hello? Is anyone out there? This is Commander Thire of the Coruscant Guard. We’ve crashed and require assistance. Is there anyone out there?”

The four conscious clones waited with baited breath for a response. there was a burst of static, then a voice filtered through.

“Commander? Commander are you still there?” a Coruscanti accent asked.

Thire recognized that voice immediately. He reached out and turned on the visuals.

“General Kenobi! Yes, I’m still here, sir!”

Kenobi seemed relieved. “Good. Can you update me on your situation?”

“Sir! We were escorting a Senator back to Coruscant when we were attacked by Separatists and shot down. We crash landed on a planet, I’m not sure which one. My squad and I are the only survivors.” Thire replied.

Kenobi nodded sadly. “Thank you, Commander. We've tracked this transmission and have your location. My battalion and I are just a few hours out from you. We’ll detour and come get you,” said Kenobi.

Thire nodded. “Thank you, Sir. We’ll await your arrival.”

“Stay safe. And may the Force be with you.”

Then Knobi was gone. Thire looked at his assembled men.

“Look like we’re gonna be here for a while. Let’s get our injuries checked, then settle in to wait.”

CWCWCWCWCW

The five squad members waited in tense silence. Thire was pacing the length of the cockpit. Rys sat next to Cheshire, who they had moved to the floor, to keep an eye on him. Jek sat at the console, monitoring it in case a message came through. And Vibe was just sitting quietly with his eyes closed. The only sounds were their breathing and Thire's bootsteps. So it shouldn’t have been possible when they started hearing someone whispering in their ears.

“You do not know what you truly are, soldier.” an eerie voice whispered in Rys’s ear, making him jump and turn to look, but he saw nothing.

“Nothing but a pawn, created to ultimately fail! To murder all you hold dear, and then loose yourself in the end as well.” a female voice continued to Jek, making him startle and look around frantically. 

“You think you can protect your brothers? You can’t even protect your own mind, young one,” a third said to Thire, making him freeze and look around.

The three of them shared a fearful look.

“It’s all a matter of time!” The three voices yelled in unison.

Thire, Jek and Rys all jumped, eyes wide as they tried to control their panicked breathing. Rys looked up at Thire and Jek.

“Did you guys hear that too?” he asked nervously.

Jek warily nodded his head.

“Yeah. We did.” Thire replied quietly. Then Thire turned to Vibe. “Vibe? Did you?”

Vibe nodded his head slightly. Yes, he did hear the voices. But more than that. Something was wrong with this planet. He could feel it. It made him shiver.

“Surrender yourself to the Dark Side. So strong you will be.” a new voice whispered to Vibe, making him open his eyes with a gasp.

Vibe panted for a moment, before he stood and he started to leave.

“Vibe, where are you going?” asked Jek.

“I’m just getting some air. I’ll be right back.” Vibe answered before he disappeared through the door.

CWCWCWCWCW

Rys’s nerves had gone up as time passed. He shook where he sat. The whispering had gotten more frequent for all of them if they're spooked expressions were anything to go by. And not only were there more whispering voices, but now there were shadows walking in the corners of his eyes, and along the walls, or just standing there watching him and the others. He was sure Thire and Jek could see them too, with how badly they were jumping at the shadows. 

Rys warily looked down at the resting Cheshire. At least he was spared this terror.

CWCWCWCWCW

Cheshire was not spared any terror. He was having his own experience… in the form of a nightmare.

He was trapped. Strapped down to a cold, stone table. He could tell he was in a temple of some sort. But it was so dark. He couldn’t see anyone, but he could hear his captor’s footsteps walking around him. Cheshire panted as he struggled against his bindings. He wanted to get out of here. He wanted to get back to his brothers.

“You won’t be getting out anytime soon, my dear.” a voice said.

Cheshire frantically looked around, trying to find the owner of the voice.

“Who… who are you? Where am I? What do you want?” Cheshire asked, worry and panic clear in his voice.

The voice laughed, a dark evil sound.

“We are in your head as you sleep off the crash. I am a… powerful being of sorts.” the voice hissed.

Cheshire felt cold all over. He let out a panicked sob as the being talked. It felt and sounded like an enemy. This was just getting worse and worse.

“As for what I want, dear one,” the Dream Sith purred. “I want your help.”

Cheshire did not like the sound of that. At all. He continued to search for the Sith. He hated the fact he couldn’t see them.

“I’m honored and all, but I’m gonna have to pass on that.” Cheshire replied.

He felt something grab his ankles forcefully. He cried out in fear. He pulled and struggled, trying vainly to get away. Suddenly, something forced him to turn his head and look down at his feet. There he finally met his captor. A dark silhouette with red eyes stood at his feet, their red eyes bore into his soul. Cheshire shook in fear. He could somehow tell the Sith was now smiling at him.

“Unfortunately, dear one… You don’t have a choice.”

Then the silhouette lost its shape, and turned into a black smoke. The smoke hovered menacingly above him. Cheshire opened his mouth to scream, but the smoke suddenly lunged forward, towards him. The same thing that made him turn his head forced him to keep his mouth open. The smoke started to enter his mouth, forcing itself into him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t close his mouth. Cheshire whimpered and groaned as he struggled weakly against the Sith. He couldn’t stop it, the Sith was doing something to him, and he couldn’t stop it. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks as he started to feel consciousness leave him.

And his golden brown eyes turned into an ugly sulfur yellow.

CWCWCWCWCW

Vibe slowly walked back and forth outside the crashed ship. He couldn’t clear his mind. Everything felt wrong. Especially when the whispering started. Vibe couldn’t figure out what was going on. And the steady feeling of being watched didn’t help. 

Vibe kept glancing over his shoulder. He knew whatever was out there was getting closer and closer to him. That knowledge did nothing to ease his nerves. 

His panicked breathing picked up. He shouldn’t have come out here alone. He was vulnerable out here! He was so stupid! Vibe turned to try and run back to the ship and the safety of his brothers. 

Only the moment he tried to take a step, something slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. Vibe’s helmet flew off, exposing his head and face. Something grabbed each of his wrists and held them down, pinning him to the ground. Vibe cried out and started thrashing and struggling against his assailant. A chilling, eerie laugh made him freeze. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up. Vibe gasped and his eyes widened in fear. Above him hovered a black, smokey ghost looking down at him with pale, white eyes. 

The being felt far too amused for Vibe’s liking.

The creature laughed again.

“Such a pretty little thing. Yes… yes you are. I can see why he likes you so much. Why he’s obsessed with you. Yes… pretty little thing.” the ghostly being rambled.

Vibe didn’t know what the creature was talking about. It sounded crazy! He whimpered quietly.

“Pretty thing, Pretty thing… such pain you’ll suffer… Even with all your gifts, you strength. Oh, yes. Much pain, Pretty thing.”

Vibe shook beneath the creature. He was scared. While the creature spoke in cryptic rambles, Vibe now understood, for the most part. His future was what the creature was talking about. And it was going to be painful. 

The creature leaned down and nuzzled Vibe’s neck. Vibe shook violently and whimpered. The creature pulled away after a second.

“Used, abused, Pretty thing. Stolen from everyone you love, never to see them again. Them, lost. There but not aware. Such pain you’ll suffer, Pretty thing. Forever locked away. Forever forced to be young, while everyone around you grows old. Isolated, imprisoned, tortured, abused. Alone. All if He wins, Pretty thing. All if He wins. Don’t let Him win, Pretty thing.”

Vibe stared in fear and shock at the creature. Tears rolled freely down his cheeks from his green eyes. He shivered and shook. Then, suddenly, the creature faded away, freeing Vibe. 

Vibe sat up quickly, a loud sob escaping him. He sniffled and sobbed, trying to get his emotions back under control. He took several deep breaths until he calmed down. He rubbed his hands over his face. What the sith hells just happened?

Vibe didn’t have time to ponder further, as he suddenly heard a startled and fearful shout come from the ship. He jumped up and started running back into the ship. Something was wrong.

Something was wrong with Cheshire.

CWCWCWCWCW

Vibe rushed into the cockpit and skidded to a stop.

Cheshire stood in the middle of the cockpit, holding Rys up off the floor by his neck. Thire stood between Jek and Cheshire. Rys squirmed and struggled against Cheshire’s grip, clawing at Cheshire’s armored arm.

Vibe gaped at Cheshire. He couldn’t do that! He shouldn't even be able to do that! How could he be doing that?

“Ches… Ches, stop!” Vibe yelled.

Cheshire turned his head towards Vibe. He snarled at Vibe, sulfur yellow eyes burned into Vibe’s soul. He didn’t look happy.

“I am not Cheshire!” a voice that wasn’t Cheshire’s answered. “I’m only borrowing him for a while.”

“He’s not yours to borrow!” Vibe exclaimed.

Not-Cheshire grinned. “That may be. But you all are my only chance to get off this planet. I’ll give him back after.”

“And after that, you’ll go and do whatever it is you have planned for when you get out of here, right?” Thire demanded.

Not-Cheshire turned to face Thire. “Well, we all have our little joys in life.”

The being in Cheshire’s body squeezed Rys’s neck. Rys choked and struggled more. Panic filled Vibe as he watched.

“Put him down! Put Rys down right now!” Vibe yelled as he grabbed one of Thire’s pistols and pointed it at Not-Cheshire.

Not-Cheshire regarded Vibe for a moment. “I know you wouldn’t shoot your friend. And I know you know that as well, but very well. I’m putting him down.”

The being dropped Rys onto the floor of the cockpit. Rys sputtered and coughed once he hit the floor, rubbing his neck as well. He scrambled back from Not-Cheshire. Not-Cheshire snarled at Rys, Thire, and Jek before turning back to Vibe. 

The being suddenly flicked out his hand and the pistol flew out of Vibe’s grasp and clattered somewhere on the floor. 

Everyone stared with wide, scared eyes at the being in Cheshire’s body use of the Force. 

The being flicked his hand again, and Vibe flew into the wall with a cry. He tried to struggle against the Force hold to free himself. But he couldn’t. 

Not-Cheshire walked over to him and got right in his face.

“You’re a special one, I can tell. So unique, different from the others.” the being laughed. “ I bet you could have anything you wanted, little one.”

Vibe stiffened but quickly came up with an idea. “There’s only one thing I want right now.”

“Oh? And what’s that?” the being purred.

Vibe stared right into Not-Cheshire’s sulfur yellow eyes. “I want my friend back.”

The being startled, looking confused. 

Vibe closed his eyes and reached out. He searched inside the aura of the being until he found his friend. He grabbed his friend’s signature and pulled, trying to bring the real Cheshire back to the surface. 

The being jerked and twitched, his face contorting in anger. “What are you doing? No! Stop that!” the being angrily hissed. 

Vibe ignored the angry being, continuing to pull Cheshire back. 

The being screamed and thrashed.“No, no, no, no, no, no!” It yelled.

Suddenly it threw his head back and a black smoke erupted from his mouth. Vibe dropped to the floor as the being’s power disappeared. Vibe quickly jumped up to his feet.

As suddenly as the black smoke appeared, it faded away to nothing. Cheshire’s eyes rolled back into his head as he started to collapse. 

Vibe reached out quickly and grabbed Cheshire before he could fall. He gently lowered Cheshire to the ground as the others approached. The Guard all shared a concerned look as Vibe rested Cheshire’s head in his lap.

“What just happened?” Rys asked quietly as he sat down next to Vibe.

“I have no idea. But let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.” said Thire.

They all shared murmurs of agreement.

“I can’t wait until General Kenobi gets here.” said Jek.   
  
“You and me both.” Vibe quietly agreed.

CWCWCWCWCW

It wasn’t much longer after the incident with Cheshire that the five members of the Coruscant Guard heard the tell-tale sound of a gunship getting closer. The Guardsmen headed out of the crashed ship, Cheshire supported between Rys and Jek to meet them. 

The gunship landed and General Kenobi stepped out, followed by Commander Cody.“Commander Thire!” Kenobi called. “Glad to see you’re still in one piece.”

“Thank you, Sir. You got here just in the nick of time.” Thire replied.

“Oh?” Kenobi asked, concern coloring his tone.

“Let’s just say, things were starting to get really weird, Sir.” Thire replied.

“Yes, I can see why. The Force feels very off here. Let’s get you and your men up to the Negotiator, where you all can be checked by the medics.” Kenobi said.

“Yes, Sir.”

Thire, Rys and Jek, carrying Cheshire, and Vibe boarded the gunship followed by Kenobi and Cody.

As they took off, Vibe took a look out of the gunship and froze slightly. The creature that had pinned him was back, just floating by the crashed ship. It raised a hand and waved at him before fading away again.

Vibe shivered and turned away from the view as the gunship’s doors closed. He was glad to get away from that planet. And hopefully, he could forget the whole experience.


End file.
